In last week’s State of the Union speech, President Obama unveiled a plan to offer “free” community college. As we know, however, nothing in life is free; everything is paid for or earned somewhere along the line and the president’s plan was no different.

This week, I met with Maya Rideout and her mother, Reggi. When Maya was born, she was 13 weeks premature, weighing less than two pounds. After nine long weeks in the hospital, and many treatments to aid her underdeveloped little body, Maya was...